Today we check in with Mazendo, an unconventional Chinese restaurant in the heart of Taipei, Taiwan. Its specialty is spicy dishes like the beef noodle, and its modern aesthetic attracts plenty of urban professionals. But just as exciting as the great food and atmosphere is the innovative way the owners are using iPad to streamline the entire customer service process.

Mazendo has incorporated iPad in three distinct ways. The host uses an iPad at the front desk to manage and track table seating. The waiter uses an iPad to take customer orders and relay those orders to the cooks. And finally, the waiter uses a POS (Point of Sale) app to process the customer’s credit card to complete the order. Top to bottom, it’s amazing how many different things the iPad is accomplishing for the restaurant.

We’ve heard good things about existing POS apps like ShopKeep and Lavu, but the POS app Mazendo uses deserves special mention. It’s a brand new app developed by iChef — so new, in fact, that it’s still being tested and is not quite available on the App Store yet. This iChef app, intended specifically for restaurants, streamlines the POS process and integrates the workflow so that everyone can access the info in real time. Mazendo reports that iPad use has proven to be significantly more efficient than the traditional system. Surely this level of integration will become the norm rather than the exception soon.

Mazendo chose IPEVO’s Perch S Desktop Stand to pair with the iPad at their front counter. Not only does the sleek metallic stand mesh well with the restaurant’s hip vibe; Perch S puts the iPad at the perfect height to operate, complete with customizable viewing angle and orientation. iPad, Perch S, and POS integration. It sounds like restaurants are in for a real treat!

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Musicians — and specifically guitar players — this entry’s for you. iPad is changing everything from logistics to laundry lists, but what about sheet music and songwriting? We’ve put together a list of 4 essential elements that’ll strike the perfect note for the modern guitarist.

iPad — You kind of saw that one coming. Where else could you put an entire library of tabs and sheet music into one place that’s smaller than a conventional sheet music book? No more carrying around bulky physical documents to your practice session or gig, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are a plethora of music-centric apps that’ll help you push your music further. But more on that in the next bullet.

Guitar Pro — This exceptional app from Arobas Music is the easiest way to edit and arrange your guitar tabs. Grab files from the web, iTunes or email — no more photocopying! — then build a library you can access anytime and anywhere. Robust multitrack functions, a countdown and metronome, looping, and even PDF exports are just a few key features. You can even set up on-the-fly tempo changes and transpositions. They really thought of it all with this program.

AirTurn Pedal — Trying to turn the page with the touchscreen is a bummer, and it will definitely throw off your rhythm. Don’t stop the music — get the AirTurn Pedal. With this simple pedal (which connects easily via Bluetooth), you can turn the page with your foot instead of stopping to use your hand. A battery life with an extra-impressive 100 hours of standby makes sure you can keep the music flowing all week long.

Perch M Stand — This heavenly setup isn’t complete without the Perch M Stand for iPad. You can’t look cool — and your music probably won’t sound too great — if you’re trying to read off the iPad while it’s cradled in your lap or face-up on a table. Perch M puts the iPad at just the right position for a seated guitarist. Its legs can fit underneath tables and furniture, so that’s a bonus. And the viewing angle can be customized with a quick tug. You can’t ask for too much more when it comes to a perfectly-positioned iPad.

Have any other essential apps or must-have accessories for guitar players? Let us know and maybe we can add to the list!

IPEVO’s family of Perch stands have found themselves in a remarkable number of venues. But in the case of Tian Cai Refreshment Saloon — and yes, that’s the best name for a restaurant ever — Perch S found a home very close by our branch office in Taipei, in a place we visit all the time. And that makes this story a little more special.

Tian Cai is well-known for excellent Japanese cuisine such as sushi, sashimi and oden, which is a dish of boiled eggs, radish, konnyaku and fish cakes in a light broth. With its combination of good quality and affordability, the Refreshment Saloon has been a lunch-hour favorite of IPEVO employees for many years, and a favorite of the Taipei business community for more than 40 years. For the vast majority of those 40 years, Tian Cai’s menu was text-only. The restaurant’s reputation and great food had visitors coming back for more, but the owner knew he could take his restaurant into the 21st century for an even better presentation of his offerings.

After a cook took some impromptu iPhone images of some dishes, the owner knew that strong visuals of his cuisine was the way to go. But what was the best way to display signature dishes for newcomers in a fresh, exciting way? The owner tried a couple digital frames and some iPad cases and stands as part of a lobby display, but he wasn’t satisfied. These accessories weren’t complementing the overall vibe of the restaurant. They looked clunky and inorganic, like they didn’t belong.

A couple folks at IPEVO saw the owner’s need and introduced him to Perch S Desktop Stand. With its sleek lines and aluminum leg, THIS is a stand which can match the high style of an upscale restaurant. We like to think it’s every bit as elegant as the iPad itself. The Perch S was set on the host’s counter, and its dual-axis hinge allowed it to be oriented and angled just rightto catch customers’ eyes. Images of signature dishes were uploaded into a slideshow on the iPad. And the rest, as they say, is history. Tian Cai broke free from the text-only tedium and now features an ultramodern, eye-catching display which communicates the deliciousness of the dishes as well as the sophistication of the restaurant itself. What more could you ask for? We bet Perch S Desktop Stand could deliver a similar “wow” for your business!

Have you tried an interactive kiosk for your business? It’s a unique opportunity to showcase your products and services, share multimedia content, and get your visitors engaged and excited. All you need is an iPad and a stand. And we’ve got just the stands for you: the Perch Security Stand in S-Type (great for tabletops and desktops), M-Type (ideal for seated users), or L-Type (the perfect height for standing users).

What’s the Perch Security Stand? It’s a versatile stand for the iPad 3 or iPad 2 that’s designed with security in mind. We’ve taken our popular Perch Stand and packaged it with a special lockable holder. With two locks, the security holder ensures that your customers can’t take the iPad out of the stand or otherwise drop or damage the device. If your company could benefit from an interactive kiosk, but you need a way to keep it secure, the Perch Security Stand is the smart and affordable solution.

Let’s talk a little bit more about Perch’s features. First, Perch has a modern, streamlined look that’s every bit as style-conscious as Apple’s iPad. So, using the Perch will never fail to impress. Secondly, Perch’s dual-axis hinge means you can position the iPad in either landscape or portrait orientation, depending on your needs. Plus, you can adjust the viewing angle so it’s just right for your users.

As far as security, the lockable holder doesn’t just prevent the user from taking the device out. An optional home button lock prevents users from hitting the home button and exiting your video, slideshow, or app. Thus, you control their experience.

As another benefit, IPEVO is also offering a handy app called Showcase. This application allows you to fine-tune the user’s experience even more by limiting touchscreen interactions. If you want to restrict browsing to one or two pages, Showcase can help. If you want the iPad to automatically return to your Home page for the next user, Showcase can help. Find out more about Showcase in the Apple App Store.

What we’re trying to say is: Perch Security Stand and Showcase offer you a complete solution to transform your iPad into a cutting-edge, secure interactive kiosk for your business.

Here’s just a taste of how Perch Security Stand might function for you:

Give clients a sense of what’s possible with your product by offering apps which allow them to “build” or select choices — from cars to clothing to computers, creating what you’re about to buy is always fun.

With something like the Square Card Reader, you can even use a kiosk to process transactions.

Set up the kiosk as a true information center with maps, FAQs, directories, and similar content.

A kiosk doesn’t have to be all business. Offer games or show movies to entertain guests or the children of your customers.

Offer orientations, support, and training for your employees.

Give clients a convenient way to check their email, the day’s itinerary, or the sports scores.

Have we piqued your curiosity yet? Check out the S-Type, M-Type or L-Type to see what else is possible.

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All three sizes of the Perch Security Stand — Desktop (S), Side (M), and Podium (L) — are great for businesses of all types. But did you know that these stands are a perfect fit for the classroom, too? Educators will find tons of uses for each size of Perch Security Stand.

For the brief rundown, Perch Stands provide a solid support for the new iPad and iPad 2. The iPad can be mounted in either landscape or portrait orientation at customizable viewing angles thanks to a special dual-axis hinge. And the Security holder features two locks to ensure the iPad can’t be removed from the stand, which is ideal for busy classrooms and curious (and dare we say clumsy) kids. When you use Perch Security Stand, you’ll know the iPad will stay put in the stand.

Let’s talk about each stand:

Desktop (S) — This stand is just the right size for student desks and your teacher’s desk. Students can use education apps either by themselves or with a partner. And when you use Apple TV and the AirPlay app, you can also use Perch S to mount your iPad like a document camera and then project your iPad screen wirelessly onto a widescreen TV or the classroom projection screen.

All of the learning advantages we’ve shared about our Point 2 View and Ziggi Document Cameras (such as 50 Ways to Use Your Doc Cam) apply to your Perch S doc cam. You’ll open up whole new horizons and engage students on multiple levels.

Perch S is also perfect to place on the chemistry lab counter, where you could supplement live experiments with something like Chemistry By Design or make data forms easier to fill out with Forms.

Finally, we wanted to mention an app called GradeCam. This app allows you to use the iPad’s camera to scan and grade the results of multiple choice, “scantron”-type tests. Position the students’ test paper underneath iPad, and you’ll get an instant grade and answer breakdown.

Side (M) — This stand can be placed right near the desk, either for your students or yourself. If you have chairs and couches in addition to the classic desk, note that Perch M’s flat feet can be easily slid under furniture so the user can pull the iPad close. Perch M could also be positioned between two students’ desks for cooperative learning.

Just two of the near-infinite amount of education apps you might want to try are Strip Designer, in which students can create comic strips to illustrate what they’ve learned in a unique way, and ArtRage, in which students can experiment with different drawing tools.

Podium (L) — Last but not least is our tallest stand designed for standing users. These are great for establishing a dedicated “learning center” or “recreation area” that students can visit and use during free time or as a special treat. How about an iTunes U learning library? Or SAT Vocab to build vocab in a fun way? Or how about supplementing a life sciences course with 3D Anatomy, or a course on geography with MapProjector?

Educators, do you have any amazing education apps that you’d like to share? Please feel free to leave a comment. And check out the Perch S, Perch M, or Perch L Security Stand product pages for more info on these handy classroom helpers.

And it’s not just everyone’s favorite inexpensive and versatile document camera that has made the trip. A total of 15 IPEVO items are available to customers and distributors all across Europe, and we hope to add even more items as time goes on. This includes two Point 2 View accessories — the Height Extension Stand and Carrying Case — along with four iPad accessories: PadPillow Pillow Stand for all generations of iPad (Blue Denim and Charcoal Gray colors); and the Perch family of iPad 2 and iPad 3 stands (black and white colors), including the Desktop Stand for tabletops, the Sofa Stand for seated users, and the Podium Stand for standing users. The final item is the Wireless Presentation System for turning any classroom or conference room projector into a wireless projector to make sharing and presenting easier.

Through Amazon UK, we are able to ship to locations in the United Kingdom along with the other 26 member-states of the European Union. Here is the full list:

IPEVO has won over customers in America and Asia with unique, well-designed tech products and accessories for educators, businesspeople, and individuals. And we can’t wait for customers all across Europe to have the very same positive experience. We’ve already received many inquiries from European educators and others eager for our products, so we’re excited to get started!

This is our third entry in the iPad How-To series where we help you maximize your use of the iPad 3 and IPEVO accessories.

We recently introduced the standalone Perch iPad 2 Holder, and now (drum roll please), its new name is the Perch Holder for iPad 2 and 3. The Holder is offered for anyone who purchased a Perch stand (all three lengths) for the original iPad who then upgraded to an iPad 2 and now the new iPad, iPad 3. By just buying the holder instead of an entirely new stand, you save money and your technology grows with you. That’s a pretty powerful one-two punch.

The Perch Holder works with both iPad 2 and iPad 3. So if you have a Perch stand for the original iPad and you bought an iPad 3, just purchase the standalone Holder and you’ll be good to go.

All you do to install the Perch Holder is press the holder button in the back of Perch (where the holder meets the aluminum leg), slide the old holder out, and pop the new one in until the button clicks into place. You can also switch back and forth between the holders if you’re using different iPads.

As we told you in the last entry, the best way to install iPad 3 into the holder is bottom first. Slip the two bottom corners in, making sure they tuck underneath the ribbing, and then angle the iPad up and press the top two corners firmly in until the top ribbing secures the device. The Perch Holder still has the same versatile dual-axis hinge in back, so you can adjust viewing angle as well as orientation very easily.

Taking the iPad 3 out is even easier: press down the side tab, grasp the iPad from the back, and pull forward, same as the original iPad.

One last note: as you’d expect, all of the ports and controls of iPad 3 are accessible when it’s installed in Perch Holder, including sleep/wake mode, volume control, headphone jack, microphone, speakers, front camera lens, dock connector, and even the rear camera lens.

So if you have a Perch for the original iPad and need an upgrade because you just bought an iPad 3, save some coin and get the Perch Holder for iPad 2 and 3.

Thanks for reading. For troubleshooting or questions, our Customer Support team is always standing by at cs@ipevo.com.

Hello and welcome to entry number two in our iPad 3 How-To series, covering all of IPEVO’s iPad 3 accessories.

The Perch family of stands works with all generations of iPad. There’s a model just for iPad, and there’s another model for both the iPad 2 and iPad 3 — make sure you choose the right model for your device when you add Perch to your shopping cart.

As you may know, Perch provides an attractive and sturdy stand for all of your iPad habits. There are three lengths to choose from: S Type, for tabletops, the larger M Type for seated users, and the largest L Type for standing users. No matter which type you choose, you’ll enjoy easy installation of your device and generous customization of orientation and viewing angles thanks to a special dual-axis hinge.

With the iPad 3, the best approach to insertion is to install the bottom of the iPad 3 first. Slip in the two bottom corners of iPad 3, making sure they are tucked underneath the ribbing. Only after that should you angle in the iPad 3 and push the top two corners into the holder. Firmly press in the corners of iPad 3 until the ribbing is on top of the device and holding it in. The iPad 3 should be tightly in place, and not loose or wobbling.

All ports and controls of the iPad 3 are accessible thanks to cutouts in the holder, including sleep/wake mode, volume control, headphone jack, microphone, speakers, front camera lens, dock connector, and even the rear camera lens.

Perch is finding a place in all sorts of venues. Today we wanted to share how Perch M as well as Perch L have scored a hole in one (or at least a very nice Eagle) on the golf course and driving ranges.

Perch is the user-friendly lightweight stand for iPad or iPad 2. Pop in your iPad and you have a versatile go-anywhere stand at the ideal height and viewing angle for hands-free operation. Perch M, our medium stand, comes up nearly waist-high and is ideal for seated users, while Perch L is higher for standing users.

One of the early inspirations for Perch came from the driving range. Our CEO, Royce, is an avid golfer, and he was eager to use the iPad (and a few golf swing tutorial videos and apps) to improve his game.

However, as you can imagine it’s tough (if not impossible!) to view the iPad while you’re practicing your swing. The iPad needs to be at a decent height. What do you do — prop it up between the clubs in your golf bag? Not good. For these kind of scenarios, Perch was born. Depending on personal preference and height, golfers using Perch have found that either the M or the L models have worked for them.

With either M or L, you can position the lightweight stand wherever you like, whether you’re right- or left-handed. Adjust the viewing angle as well as the orientation by hand, and you have a customized iPad mount for the course or driving range that’s easy to transport in the backseat or trunk of your car.

As an additional use, owners of courses and ranges can use Perch as a signboard to advertise tee times, pricing, specials on products in the clubhouse golf shop and more.

Don’t delay; the rolling greens await. Grab Perch M or Perch L and improve your game in convenience and style.

Continuing our survey of worthwhile uses for the Perch, this entry takes a peek inside a popular year-round destination: the jewelry store. Jewelers, gemologists, and gemstone merchants have a fascinating and complex product, to the point that the finer points of their merchandise are sometimes a challenge to properly communicate to customers. How do you best inform customers on the ins and outs of choosing the jewelry piece that’s right for them? Our answer is Perch S.

Perch S is the smallest member of our Perch family of iPad and iPad 2 stands, and it’s the perfect size for tabletops and countertops. That would include the jewelry countertop, where an iPad can function as a prominent interactive kiosk right alongside the merchandise.

As an impressive, interactive, and multimedia companion piece to traditional hands-on service, the iPad/iPad 2 and Perch S could really help deliver what jewelry store customers need to make an informed decision on their important purchase.

Here’s just a few ideas we had for what Perch S and the iPad could visually present to customers, either through website content, interactive apps, videos, or slideshows:

Diamond certification — what’s the difference between GIA, IGI, HRD, and EGL? Why is a certificate important? Scan an actual certificate to show customers what exactly to look for.

Clarity, color, carat, cut — how can customers best understand and choose between the 4 C’s of diamond evaluation? Customers could be exposed to images of different diamond cuts or a graph indicating the range of clarities, for just two examples.

Gemstones — beyond diamonds, what other gemstones are available? How would gemstones look paired with other gemstones?

Jewelry pieces — give customers an idea of what jewelry pieces work best with what gemstones through an interactive app or slideshow. How would the same diamond look in a necklace versus a bracelet, et cetera?

Inventory — a natural use for the Perch S and iPad is as an interactive inventory where customers can browse your full range of products, view close-ups of jewelry, and consider specifications and price.

Additional services — do you offer ring re-sizing? Custom engraving? Pearl restringing? Timepiece repair? Tell your customers about it with an iPad kiosk.What other uses can you think of for the Perch S iPad/iPad 2 Stand ? Let us know!